Conference Day 2

We kick start conference day two with an interactive conference-wide game, designed to encourage the sharing of ideas and peer-to-peer learning.

• The room is divided into 6 teams.
• Each team is given a fictional game project 6 months from launch. A sudden capacity crisis is introduced
• Teams have 10 minutes to brainstorm solutions.
• Each team nominates a spokesperson to present their ideas to the room. 

Darryn Dauth

Production Director
EA

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In game production, challenges are inevitable. Ambitious features, new mechanics, or evolving storylines can push projects beyond their original plans, leading to missed deadlines, budget overruns, and team burnout.

• Escalation Protocols: How issues are raised and routed to ensure visibility without finger-pointing.
• Decision Ownership: Clarifying who is responsible when key milestones or deliverables are at risk.
• Preventive Measures: How establishing clear accountability upfront can reduce chaos when the unexpected occurs. 

Iliyan Garnev

Lead Producer
Gameloft

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Andrey Vigdorovych

Executive Producer
Former GRIP Studios

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AAA game development frequently spans four to six years, yet the underlying technology stack including engines, middleware, rendering pipelines, platform SDKs, and network architecture can shift dramatically in six months. This misalignment between long-term production planning and rapid technical evolution is one of the industry’s most persistent challenges.

• Integrate modular feature sets, iterative milestones, and parallel sprints to accommodate engine upgrades, platform SDK changes, and middleware evolution.
• Evaluate adoption of new rendering techniques, physics engines, network solutions, and tools while maintaining stable code branches and CI/CD workflows.
• Implement scalable content pipelines, reusable code frameworks, and automated build/test systems that endure through evolving tech stacks. 

This keynote explores how studios and publishers can meaningfully reduce development costs without sacrificing quality or delivery. Moving beyond traditional outsourcing models, the session focuses on scalable production structures, co-development strategies, outcome-based partnerships, and smarter team design to address the broken economics of modern game development.

• Structuring co-development and partner models around outcomes, not headcount
• Building teams that can scale and contract efficiently across development phases
• Leveraging specialist partners instead of permanent capacity for complex systems and features
• Integrating external studios into a single production ecosystem, not siloed outsourcing 

With the emergence of AI, Game production is entering its most significant structural shift since the rise of live service. AI is no longer a support tool, it's becoming a foundational layer in how games are conceived, built, staffed, and shipped.

In this forward-looking session, we'll explore how AI is fundamentally transforming the role of the producer. From generative content pipelines to AI-driven scheduling, production is moving from coordination-heavy oversight to strategic orchestration of hybrid humanAI teams.

In this session, Mozzy, Former Production Director at King, argues that AI will not simply "assist" production, it will restructure it. Team composition will evolve and certain traditional roles may disappear as automation scales. At the same time, entirely new roles will emerge.

Join this session to gain a practical understanding of how to restructure teams, rethink hiring, and future-proof production careers in an AI-first development landscape.

This session isn't about AI replacing humans. It's about redefining the value of producers.

Mozzy M

Former Production Director
King

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Andreane Meunier, Senior Director of Production at PlayStation Studios, takes the stage to lead our final interactive session. Taking control of our conference app Andreane will address the top questions submitted by delegates throughout the two-day event.

For directors, head and senior production executives' pressure is a constant reality. Conflicting priorities, late changes in direction, and the push to ship despite known risks create intense challenges.

• Communicating Risk Clearly: How to raise concerns about scope, schedule, or quality without losing trust.
• Managing Up: Techniques for influencing decisions and aligning priorities amid changing directives.
• Protecting Teams: Ensuring your team can work sustainably, even under pressure, while delivering results.
• Decision-Making Under Pressure: How to weigh short-term demands against long-term success and quality. 

Kanstantsin (Costa) Samaryn

Producer
AAA Studio - unannounced project

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Matthew Navas

Lead Producer
CD PROJEKT RED

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